Neon-lamp stroboscope



April 7, 193l, s. A. sTAEGE H0H LAMP STROBOSdoPE Fi1ed Aug. 14, 1929 ATfoRNEY Pfonfo Apr. 7, 1931 oNITED ST TES PATENT oFFICE A HEtion 1ed An ust 1, 1929. ser181 8s,91o.

Iy inventioI1 relateS to stroboscopic de vioes ond nore Pa-rtiou1of1 to light-prodHoi1 o Pofotus therofor.

Iy inventioI1 hoS fo1 on obieot to PTovide Ineons foI' interInittently roducing al light in acoordance .vvith the alternationS of on a1ternating source of electro-Inofive foroe.

^nofhef obieot of Iny invontion is to pTo vide nleons. for roduoing 8 brilliont light 4 during o Shofply deEned p odeterInined froctiono1 Period of t o tiino of each voltoge lfo1'Iotio11 of oI1 a1ternting e1ectToI 1otive force.

1y invention is )ortic11lorly op lioable to Strobosoo )es foI' use in oo11Ilec tion vvith seo tional paper-Inachine drives but it iS olSo 11sefu1 foI' any fotating of' vibroting aPP rotuS the speed of v7hioh iS Sy11ohronouS oI' SnbStantially SynchronouS vvith the a1ter 1ot in -current Souroe.

Iy invention iS alSo aPP1iob1e to a11 t)7pes of Strobosoopes v7herein oleoI', Sharp ond brilliant light for 8 vve11 deHned. pTedeter mined lighting period is desifable.

It iS vve11 knovvn thot neon and SiInilaI gaS filled 1In S hove ar critio81 1ighting vo1tage Which ma eS them uSefol for Strobosco io lighting PufposeS, eSI)eciB,11) in coIInect1011 vv1th 811 1ternating electroInotive force. vho onefgized frofn an olternating-ourfent sonroe, hovvevef, the lanI) iS lightod during ing ovef its oTest. That is, os the voltage iI1 creaSeS to the critical1 1ighting voltage of the lan1I), the lotteI' lightS and oontinues 1ig lted unti1 the voltoge deoreoSes to the sh11toff voltoge of the lan1p. ThiS nlay be aI1 appre oiablo le11gfh of tiIne, beoouso the voltage vvove is fio-t neaI' itS cresf.

1tteInptS have been nlade to so eak the voItage v7ve S to deoroaSe tho 1ightpefiod, but thiS TequiTes spooia1 apPoratus. 13y IneanS of II1 invention, hov7eve a, bri11iant light, having shortef eriod of duration than either of the abovo, is produced With the oid of oI] -1 ofdinaTy o arotus Suoh as fesisfof and 3; condensefin oddition fo fhe uSu1 Zleo11 1alnp.

bfi11int light hoving short dllfation essentio1 i11 strobosoopic vvork fo prevent blurring of tho Inoving obieots to bo ob sefved, ond to produoo o shafp image to fhereby inoreaso the/ ooourooy of Pos1tion time IneaSurements.

The accompanying drWing illnstrates my invention ond itS II1ode of operation,

In the dfaWing,

igure 1 is a sohomotio diagrom of o Stfobosoo io light- Toduoing devioo ooI1- Stfllcted in aooordonoe v7ith Iny invention. ig. 2 iS a gTophio fe )resentation of the voltoge ourve, lotted agolnSf tinle, of the de vice Shown in ig. 1,ond

ig. 3 is a gra hio repreSentation of the visuol 1unlinosity of the lan1p of 1fig 1, lotted agoinst tiIne.

Beferfing to ig. 1, the rimary Winding 2 of o voltage tfanSforIner 3 iS oonneoted in oifouit Telation vvith an aJternting-cuffent generafof by Ineans of oonduotors 5 ond 6. A variable I'esiSto1 7 is inSeTted in Series With the oonduotor 5 in ofder to rovide Ineans foI' odiuStiI1g the voltage a Plied to the fin1afy vvinding 2 of the tranSfofIner.

The Secondary vvinding 8 of the tranS fofme1' 3 is oonneofed to a neon oI' other gas filled la111p 9 b IIleanS of oondnotoTS 10 and 12. A resiStor 13, of relatively high reSiSt once, iS inSefted in Series vvith the oonduotof 10 ond the 11eon laIn 9 foI' pfoduoing a )Io1)eI voltage acfoSS the tef1I1iTlalS of tho oInI). condenSer 1, of s11itable cpaCity, iS Shunted aCrosS the aS in(1ioated.

The opefation of the device iS aS follovvS:

eI1 the rinlary vvinding 2 of the tfans forInoI 3 is oonnected aoroSs the SupPly Inains 5 ond 6, as Shown, the laII1 9 i I1ot eective ly energiZed, 11I1ti1 the voltage iInpreSsed 11 )on its ter111inolS has reaohed the critica1 1ighting vo1tge fof Which the lamp WaS designed, this does not oocuI' until S11cient ouTfe11t haS I)aSSed throngh the resiStor 13 to oharge the oondenSer 14: I1P to thiS break doWn vo1tge. v7hen thiS voltage iS reaohed, a breokdoWn occurs aoroSS Ilals, ond a ourTent, 1iII1ited the fesistonce of the lam tho voltoJge haS ('oI) )e(f off point.

terIninals of the laIIlp,

in Inognitode b c1rcuit, fioWS 11I1t11- to 8 ofitioal shutthe laIn teTmi- The resist8nce of the reSstor 13 and the copaoity of tho oondenSer 14: ore So PTopofondory voltoge reoohes this critica1 volue v tho loII1 breokS dovvn nd II111n1 ourrent 0 1iInited on1 y the loInp ond oondonSeI' oiI'c11it, ig. 3) lighfin the lan1p 9 unti1 the huto voltoge X o 1183 beo11 Teachea.

1he cTitica1 1ighting-voltoge Zone of the 18II1 iS defined oS the region of the cutve 1 iI1 ig, 2 bonnded by the lineS through the pointS designoted aS and 1 nd ar11e1 to tho tiIIle oXiS. It is to be noted thot the lon1I)`hoS critica1 1ighting-voltage zone fof evory half o cle of the So11I'ce. Since tho period of tiIne oocupied by the disch8r betWeen the pointS v ond v fhot is vith1n the critioal lighting voltage zone, is extTeInely SIno11, tho laInp eIntS 9 shaTp brilliont light.

The condenSe1 1 ootS like o TeSoTvoif, taking o voltoge 1 vvhi1o the voltage Z is in creosing ond deofeosing, nntil the voltoge 1 8ttoinS tho vallle of tho ofificol bTeakdov7n voltoge, 1 of the lan1 of vvhich tiIne, the condense2 1 disohorges through the 191I1 1111ti1 the shutoff voltago v. of th(1omp is 1'eched. This ootion tkeS loce of evefy holf-cyole pfodnoing 8 b1 i11iant light hoving We11 dened tiIne liInitS for extTemely ShoTt periods of each oltefnation of voltage.

The vo1toge1 of the socondo vviI1(1ing 8 of the tfonSfoTnler 3 is so odiuste by Ineons of the vorioble Tesistor 7 that it hos a, n1oxi nluIn instontaI1eous val-ue Substontially 1igher than the bfookdov7n voltogo of the I vvi11 be obvious, to those Ski11ed in the oft thot, iI1 SoIne caSes, the tTonSfofIner 3 !noy be o11itted v7ithont offecti11g the o oTotion of the devioe; thot is, ili thoso ooses Where tho voltoge ot the terIninals of the o1teTIlotingcurfe11t sollroe is of tho Toper nlogni- B neonS of Iny iIlvenfion, o shorp ond dist1not light foI' Shoft pfedeformined e Tiods of eooh voltoge altornation is cyo1ico1 1y foduced by o neon lanp iI1 8ooordanoe Wit the ffequenoy of an oltefIloting-oufrent geneT8tor.

It Will of the voltoge of tho sonfco an operotor 111o odiuSt the voltoge v by nleonS of tho res1stor 7, to produce o shar and odequotely illuIniI18te(1 image of the obsorved moving ob eot.

hove deScribed the )ri11ciPle of operotio11of Iny inventon together vvith the op pofotuS that I noW oonsider to fepfesent the bost embodhneot thereof, but it is to be una Ild. then disoharging throngh Said laInp -11Ilt11 the oritico1 1ightingalso be opparent thot, Tegifl,(11essderStood thot tho opporotuB shown ond do Sofibed. iS on1 i1111Strotivo ond tht tho i11- vention m o eInbodied in othor spooifio meonS.

I clain1 S m invention:'

Tho ooInbinot1on vith of Sollroo of oleotrioof eneTgy hoving o substontiolly sinusoidol Wove forn1 ondo lomp hovin 8 critic81 1ighting-voltoge zone of nleons oI' lighting soid 1In foI a fract1on of tho ti1I1o of each vo1t ge olternotion of soid sourco, iIlo111(1ing nleonS foI' Storing energy f1oIn SEid Source over the peak of tho vvove llnti1 the oI'iticall lighting voltage zone of soid loInp is Teoched SBid stored energy foltoge zone is posSed.

In teStiII1on vvhereof, I hove 11ere1111to Sub- Scribed Iny name this 8th doy of uguSt, 

